Year 1 ~ Spring 2
7:00 AM ~ Mostly Sunny ~ Warm
No Announcements

It was a sunny day of Spring. The birds chirped as they soared through partly cloudy skies, and the breeze was refreshing enough to refresh anyone outside in the warm weather. It was a fine day for Mayor Alenko to sit outside for awhile, in front of his house. He enjoyed just watching the ocean and hearing the waves hit the shore. There weren't many problems in Mineral Town, and he was thankful for that. Though, he had one concern. And that was about David, their new farmer. He seemed good, sounded truthful and reliable, but was still only a child in the Mayor's eyes. Alenko worried about him possibly giving up in the future, not able to handle the work. But his words had told Alenko a bit differently than that.

He said he'd restore the farm to it's former glory for the sake of the man he thought of as a grandfather. He had determination in his voice, and the look in his eyes made Alenko put faith in him. Was it the right decision? Maybe. He couldn't be sure until results rolled in, he could only hope he made the correct move in trusting a young one like him to do so much work on his own. He figured the boy was wandering about as of now, trying to get used to his surroundings. He was from the city, after all. He wasn't used to being in such a small town, and it'd probably be awkward for him.

Of course, he hadn't seemed that bothered by the change. In fact, he appeared quite pleased already. Alenko was sure he'd fit in fine with the colorful individuals of Mineral Town, adding hi He smiled, silently watching the ocean as he thought about the possible outcomes. As the more he put thought into it, the more apparent it was that the boy's life could go in quite a few directions. Some more pleasant than others...

---

Meanwhile, with David...

David was simply looking over the land he now owned. It was a mess, certainly. Rocks and logs were scattered across his field, some of the fencing and buildings were in need of repair, and the place in general just needed some... Improvements. "Ah can't believe it's all mine." David said to himself, smiling as he walked around aimlessly. He wasn't able to express how happy he was to be here, to be a farmer at last! He had learned a lot from that old man over the years, and had kept himself in good shape as well. He could finally put it all to work, and couldn't express how excited he was to do so. Of course, there were a few things on David's mind. He knew for certain there was something he wanted to do before getting started.

"Ah ought to maybe take a little look around town." He told himself, figuring it to be a good idea. He lived here now, right? It'd be a good idea to maybe meet somebody and introduce himself. Little did he know that word traveled fast in a small town, and most of the residents already knew there was a new farmboy around. Oblivious to the fact, he began walking away from the farm down the only road he saw. It soon enough went in two directions; he could go forward, or right. He decided to go right for no reason in particular, putting his hands inside his pockets as he continued walking, and taking in the beauty of the town.

The place looked so nice, and cozy. He felt like he was meant to be in this town. It wasn't too loud, there weren't people filling the streets; He felt happy already. And the small grin on his face expressed that. He took in the fresh air and exhaled, stopping for a moment as he began hearing something. He couldn't pin what it was, but he continued walking up the road in hopes of finding the source.

Soon enough, he discovered the source. There was a sort of farm, with a bunch of chickens that David could easily see. "Chickens, huh?" He commented as he watched on, simply standing in the road, starring at the chickens. He liked chickens, they were cute, in his opinion. They were also pretty funny, running around like mad at times. He was certainly enjoying the sight and finding the scene funny in it's own little way.

"Move out of MY WAY!"

A loud voice called from inside the cramped chicken coop as the door was kicked open with a huge clank. A swam of feathers and loud squawking could be heard as the girl walked out with a big bag of chicken feed overflowing in her arms. Slamming it down in the corner with a big huff, she squatted down working at the ties that held the bag closed. The chickens flocked to her looking up to her with hungry intentions. Some of the smaller chicks peeped happily, wanting breakfast.

Despite the overload of cuteness, Vivienne had been having a rough day that morning. Her mother; Eva had been exceptionally bossy today and the short fuse between the mother and daughter had been lit several times since sunrise that day. It didn't help that her father had taken her mother's side with everything, at least that what it seemed like. The man didn't have many words to say, and if you got more than a "Ehyup" or a stern grunt from him, you were probably dreaming.

As the chickens calmed down the young girl came into better view. She was petite, short and fairly muscular; but with womanly curves she had gained from her mother's good home cooking. Her short overalls with some working boots seemed appropriate to work in, but she wanted to make sure that she didn't look too bad as she had other errands that day, like meeting and greeting the new farm boy that had came into the town. The back of her head was plastered with long maroon hair. It was long and disheveled under a over sized straw hat. The boy hadn't even been spotted yet in Vivienne's mind. She was just ready to get this bag open and feed her prized possession; the chickens.

Finally getting a handful of seeds in her possession she stood up and turned around threw them, spreading them out in the small yard. "Here you go! Eat up! " she cooed, finally spotting the boy who was standing in the road watching her. "Hey!" Vivienne yelled, her hand on her hip as she gazed with her big green eyes at the boy. "You happen to be that new farm boy everybody talking about?"

"Corina Cherry Strickland, wake up, it is time for breakfest and work." The womans voice yelled from across thehouse. "Mom, I don't need you here anymkre, I am twenty five and perfectly capable of opening the inn." Corina said. "No whats for breakfest?" She asked. "Scrambled eggs, bacon and toast." Her mkther said. "Sweet, get me some orange juice to." Corina said.

After they where done eating Corina walked to the inn and sat at the service desk, the woman on duty left and Corina took over. Ring.....ring.....ring. Corina answered the phone. "Cherry Inn, hkw may I help you?" Corina asked. "Do you serve breakfest there?"The man said. "We do." Corina told him. "Sweet I am coming now." The man said

Joseph hung up the phone. "I am so exicted to eat waffkes before work." He told himself. He walked over to Cherry Inn and opened the door. "Where is breakfest located?" He asked Corina. "Down the hall to the left and then right." She said. "Thank you, have a nice day." He said.

Joel’s ears rang with the exciting sound of singing sparrows. The stale crumbs of harvest bread he discarded outside earlier this morning attracted greater attention than anticipated. Watching the birds enjoy the morsels strewn throughout the church’s grounds put a smile to the priest’s face. Additional birds rapidly joined the gathering and bolstered the cacophony of joyous cries, diminishing the serenity of their once soothing sounds. Upon realizing the beauty of the moment has past, Joel retreated indoors.

The harsh sound of Joel’s stomach churning reminded him that he neglected to feed himself today, instead offering his attention to the birds outside. Hungrily, he scans his pantry for something to eat, and finds himself with a quandary. An overabundance of bread litters his shelves, and if not eaten soon, it would share the fate of the crumbs outside. Investigating other ingredients within his reach, an idea eventually dawns.

Joel begins taking inventory of his various meats, cheeses, and other goodies in the hope that he may be able to assemble a proper charcuterie, but his selection of pork is minute compared to his wealth of bread. Undisturbed by this, the priest merrily retrieves any ingredients his whim compels him to, and stores them into a large wicker basket, including a fine bottle of sweet wine. Content with his mélange of a picnic basket, Joel exuberantly steps out of the church, inadvertently scattering the noisy sparrows that happily presided there.

Beside the church’s entrance, Joel places his signature placard, which reads: “Come in, or come find me friend.” Even when absent from the church, the priest preferred to keep the facility unlocked, so anyone may have access to it if they should desire. With a spring in his step and a twirl of his walking stick, Joel wandered to Dr. Albero’s clinic next door.

Reaching the clinic, Joel set down his basket, and rapped upon the doorway, “Mornin’ Alex, I hope you are in the mood for a treat.” Waiting for a response, Joel digs into his basket in an effort to unearth sweet ingredients to flavor his bland bread supply.

David's eyes widened as a rather loud voice came from the chicken coop. He stared at the door for a moment, surprised as it was kicked open by the person inside. He found himself unable to do anything but watch as the girl came out and threw down a rather large bag of what he assumed was chicken feed onto the ground. The girl and the horde of chickens surrounding her were quite a sight to him. 'Must be pretty hard to keep an eye on all of those chickens. I couldn't imagine havin' so many.' He thought to himself, meaning it. He figured he'd have a hard time keeping track of two or three, let alone however many she had.

It made him take a moment to think about how inexperienced he was. Though he had learned a lot over the years, there was still a great amount of information he probably didn't know. And he didn't have the experience to even back up the knowledge he had yet. He wasn't worried, though. He had faith he could pull through, even if it ended up taking awhile to get used to things. He had plenty of time, so as long as he stayed calm and worked hard, he'd find success sooner or later. Probably later, not that it was a bad thing. He was taught good things came with time.

"Hey!"

"Eh?" David snapped out of his thoughts, seeming to have been noticed. He removed his hands from his pockets, allowing them to fall to his sides as he was questioned about who he was. He blinked, as she hit the nail on the head by guessing he was the one on that old farm now. He was surprised by her saying 'everybody', making it seem like a big deal. Was it a big deal? Maybe he was looking at it the wrong way, as it was possibly about a new member of their community, not his occupation. That was probably the best way he could have been addressed, though. 'Farm-boy'.

Scratching the back of his head, David replied; "Yeah, that's me." Confirming what she said, though he did wonder how she knew. He just decided to go with it. "Ah figured it would be a good idea to look around a little, since Ah hadn't gotten the chance yet since coming to town. Just followed the road, and ended up here." He explained, glancing over at the chickens, before looking back at the girl with a small smile on his face. "Name's David. It's nice to meet'ya."

"I wonder if I should put some decaf out," the male put his hand to his chin as he thought aloud to himself before glancing over at the clock, "Ah, no. It's still pretty early. If I do see anyone they're going to still need their morning caffeine," he nodded to himself, content with that decision. He put his hands in his pockets as he looked around his library, taking a deep breath. The smell of coffee and books. How could it get better? He walked over to the counter, picking up the box of cookies he'd gotten from the general store, putting them next to the coffee machine before snagging one for himself. He held his cookie in his mouth as he walked around, deciding to check the alphabetical order of his books again, humming to himself as he walked around.
There usually wasn't much to do here, but he was okay with that. He was perfectly content to spend the day in here. He had heard something about the new guy in town when he was out checking his mail, so he stopped when he reached some sort of manual about farming. He pulled it out as he tossed the rest of the cookie in his mouth, "Maybe I should get myself acquainted with this stuff, Would help with conversations with other people around here," he murmured.
With that in mind, he took his book and went to one of the chairs he had set up around the room so people could read comfortably. He flopped down, putting his feet on the coffee table in front of him and began to immerse himself in yet another book.

Unlike most everyone else at this hour, there was one particular individual who was quite upset that it was such a bright morning. She glared at her bedroom window as if she could suddenly make it tinted enough so she could get back to sleep, but it seemed quite impossible. A mix of a growl a grumble escaped her as she got up, dragging her feet over to her closet to put on clothes and be a "functioning" part of society. She pulled on some jeans and a baggy shirt before yanking her hair in to a ponytail.
"This was your bright idea," She pointed at herself in the mirror, "Let's move to a farming village, where everybody plus the roosters get up at the mother loving crack of dawn," she grumbled, kicking on her tennis shoes. As she slumped in to the bar, she rubbed the back of her head, "Well, I suppose I did leave it a mess last night," she muttered before grabbing a rag and starting to clean off the counters. Technically cleaning wasn't working so she didn't really have a problem doing it. She wasn't getting back to sleep with that damnable sun shining so bright, so might as well do something semi-productive.
She kicked a few chairs back in to place as the table as she wiped them off, sighing a bit to herself. At the very least when she got up this early, she didn't have a bunch of griping teenagers whining about how unfair her practically kindergarten level worksheets were. And that was the whole reason she came here, or at least about 80% of the reason. She picked up a glass behind the counter and started to clean them, though she expected no one would come there until later a night at the earliest

The glow of a forge beat the sun to producing illuminating light in the area around "Gustom made!" the local blacksmith's shop. The building itself looked a little out of place in the rather rural area of "Nowhere" but its clear that it was designed around safety and building codes...Despite its obvious soundproofing the slam of a hammer rang out over and over but the spacing made it clear this was methodical work and not some mad man smashing metal.

Within it was G obviously he was working but for how long? His face was drenched in sweat and his hands blackened from the forge, but was it really fresh or more a permanent charring from a man who worked with flame? G himself simply says its his connection to the irons of earth. Again the hammer fell down on the white hot metal, what was he crafting? In the days of old many would think it was sword simply from its thin frame, but, Its was a pick! The metal screamed as he dipped it in water, only for him to place it right back in the forge. His dog didn't so much as twitch from its sleep, numb from this routine, or deaf. The dog, a Doberman matched its master in its massive physique and scarring.

After another 30 minutes the man smiled satisfied from his handy work, he let the metal rest atop a special table prepared for cooling. "No better way shake your dream than to make them a reality!" G looked about his 'in progress' room several pieces awaited a simple addition or two, like handles or a layer of protective finish....OR DELIVERY.....That damn no good nephew. Probably still asleep, little princess better be here on time...."No" G smiled, he knew better, he would just dock the pay. He snagged up the finished pots,pans, and shovels and began carrying his works to the local shop. More than an hours walk. As he walked out the door the dog sprung to life and followed his master. "At least I can count on you Zeke." The dog replied with a bark and used his back leg to shut the door behind the pair.

The clinic was silent for a moment after the knock, before becoming alive with the sounds of grumbling, rustling, and thumping. Shortly afterwards, the door flung open, nearly clipping the priest in the head as he focused on his basket. Alex's sullen eyes glared down at the blond man, seeming to have just awakened from a deep sleep. His usually rather wild hair was nothing short of spectacular, a fiery explosion of red going in all directions as a huge yawn escaped the doctor's lips.
"Joel, what part of 'don't be my alarm clock' was so hard to grasp?"
The doctor trundled back into the clinic, a baggy green hooded sweater pulled over his thin frame as he sat down on an overstuffed arm chair, fingers on temples as he contemplated going back to sleep. He knew the priest would enter the house, ignore his complaints, begin making something that was nothing even remotely close to what could be considered breakfast *except in obscure European nations*, and strike up a conversation. It almost seemed like the man believed it was a mission straight from the Harvest Goddess to push the doctor to his mental limits.

The clinic itself was divided into two parts. The entry lead to a pair of stairs in the back, which rose up to become the actual clinic itself. Clean, orderly, pristine. A few paintings here and there, since a few patients said the actual examination room felt...cold. The lower half was Alex's home, an older looking home crammed full of notebooks, stray papers, jars of medicine and anatomical diagrams. Medical textbooks littered the entire area. His bed was the only flat surface not dominated by notes and papers detailing medical conditions and observations he's made from various experiments. In one corner, an overgrown plant with blue flowers stretched towards the window. The doctor's kitchen was cramped, and Alex's eyes stared sullenly at the priest as he set about the task of making the already horrendous act of being awake in the morning aggravating through an unbearably overpowering sense of confidence and optimism.

"....just cranberry juice for me, you always make something weird and intense for breakfast..."

The doctor reached one hand out, grabbing a worn out notebook. His planner and schedule. He went over the appointments he had for the day, quirking a brow when he saw just one afternoon check up. Then the list of medicinal deliveries. Cold medicine here...vitamins there...the regular hang over remedy for Nuka....a side note caught his eye.
"Social Obligation: Meet new farmer."
He grimaced at the thought. But the town was close knit, and farmers were notorious for getting hurt and overworking themselves. Best he make contact now to make sure the new citizen didn't make his situation worse by avoiding him out of shyness or...some other weird emotion Alex didn't understand. The green eyes flicked up to Joel, who had been monologuing for some time now. Alex learned early to ignore most of his spiels.

"The new farmer's first official day is today isn't it."

The remark was less a question, more a statement to stop whatever highly descriptive speech the priest was in the middle of.

"Name's David. It's nice to meet'ya."

Vivienne shifted her weight onto her other leg as she got a good look at the boy, listening to him as he confirmed who she thought she was, and when he introduced himself. The girl gave a friendly notion as she tipped her hat forward, and then all the way back on her head in greeting. "Hi David, nice to meet ya'. I'm Vivienne, though my friends around here call me Vi." the girl paused, "That means you can call me Vivienne.. for now." a cheeky grin spread across her face. Vivi's mother would have been mortified at this introduction, but her mother wasn't here so anything could happen.

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, "Any who, come over here David, I got something for ya!" Vivienne motioned with her hand, for the boy to come closer to the side of the fence. She had remembered upon seeing the boy about her mother's care package she had been assigned to deliver to him today. "My family made you a little something to get on your feet here. It can be tough if you're not ready for it, and I heard you're from the city, so you're probably not too ready for it." Vivienne gave a concerned look to the boy as he came up to the fence.

"Alright, here it is!" Vi said, taking some of the chicken feed from her hand and setting it down into the palm of the outreached hand of David. She tried to hold back her laughter with her pink lips clenched tight. She couldn't hold much longer as she spat out laughing, throwing her head back into a hearty chuckle. "I'm just messing with ya farm boy. Give me a minute, I'll go get it!" Turning on the heel of her boot she went back into the chicken coop and to a shelf to wear a good sized basket was sitting.

Coming back into the yard she held the basket up and out over the fence to David. "Sorry about the bird poop. It'll wash right off, i'm sure!" Vi stated nonchalantly. She nodded handing the basket over. Happy that one task from her mother's honey-do list was completed in an orderly fashion. Inside the basket was various jarred fruits, a loaf of bread, a few old seeds, and an unknown object to Vi in the shape of a very curious stowaway:

A bright yellow chick.

David noted her words, nodding as a sign of him understanding. She seemed kind. He recalled people back in the city not taking kindly when somebody was staring in their direction. They usually took offense to it one way or another, but she seemed to be rather casual about it. He was thankful for that, as he wouldn't want to get off on the wrong foot with the first person he met. He had the feeling that'd be rather disastrous if that had been the case. Of course, thinking negative wasn't going to get him anywhere, so he crammed those thoughts away to where he hoped they wouldn't come back.

"Any who, come over here David, I got something for ya!"

Blinking, David was surprised, not exactly expecting somebody he just met to say such a thing. He approached the fence, listening as she explained about her family made him what she described as a 'little something', to give him a little help getting on his feet with his line of work, with the comment about his city origins. He couldn't exactly argue with that, as she was right. He figured he was as ready as he'd ever be, but how ready was that, really? Hopefully enough to not make him look like a fool.

Of course, a fool is just what he looked like as she seemed to have something in her hand. He slowly reached out, and stared at his palm as she placed what his apparent little gift was; some of the chicken feed he had seen moments ago. He took a moment to seriously think about it. It wasn't really much use for him right now, but he could possibly use it later. He saw no harm in having it when it could possibly be useful later on. "Well, th-" When he looked back at her to thank her for it, she began laughing. He had a small laugh himself, knowing he couldn't hide the fact he took her seriously. It was embarrassing, in all honesty, but he was okay with that. A joke's a joke, he could find the humor in it.

Though she had been messing with him, she seemed to actually have something for him. He brought his hand closer, looking down at the chicken feed as Vivienne bolted off back into the chicken coop. "Wonder what Ah'll end up doing with this..." He muttered to himself with uncertainty, looking back up as Vivienne returned with a basket. A decently sized one at that. He accepted the basket happily, holding it in his free hand. He was about to look down at it quickly, but with Vivienne's comment about bird poop, he looked down a bit slower than originally intended.

'Eeeh... Yup, that's poop...' David thought to himself, though he was still thankful for it. Most of the things inside seemed to be jarred, so they weren't effected. But the bread? Oh, the poor loaf of bread. He wasn't certain about eating that after it had poop on it. Actually, he was certain. Certain he wasn't going to eat it. Deciding to not think about it, he noticed a couple of seeds in the basket as well. Though what they were, he wasn't certain. Though he figured planting them would give him the answer eventually.

"There's a lot in here, Ah don't think Ah can thank ya enough for it-" Suddenly, David heard chirping coming from the basket that caused him to become quiet. From behind a few of the jars, a small baby chick came out into the open and ran around the small space, seeming to simply be curiously exploring the basket and it's contents. David chuckled, his smile getting a bit wider as he looked at the little yellow bundle of feathers. "Well, ain't you just an adorable little fella?" David lowered his hand into the basket, watching the chick back away somewhat, seeming skeptical. That is, until it spotted the food in his palm. It rushed over and stepped into his hand, very satisfied with the sudden delivery of a meal. At least the noise he was making made David think so.

"Heh, pretty hungry, are ya?" He watched the chick eat, unsure if it was actually supposed to be in there. Though, at that moment, it didn't really matter. The moment was enjoyable, and that was all that really mattered to David as of now. He figured it'd be back with the others soon enough, so taking a moment to feed it wasn't going to hurt anything. At least he figured it wouldn't.

---

Ramone, as Gordeu figured, was asleep. Though not at home like one might expect. He couldn't rest with all of his Uncle's noise, so he usually went out to the river near the mines in order to get some sleep. He didn't really bring much with him, aside from his hammer, so he could at least look like he might have been trying to do something if anyone found him. Of course, who would come out here? He figured mostly everyone in town was busy with their jobs, while also thinking about the new guy. Ramone personally didn't care; farming wasn't an interest of his, and it probably never would be. He'd much rather lay around and hum to himself than get filthy by working in some field.

He yawned, slowly sitting up and opening his eyes. Simply taking a moment to look around at his surroundings. Nobody was in sight. He was glad he ended up being sent out here. Though Gordeu pestered him about how he was, it wasn't as bad as his parents that ranted day in and day out. Most people just kept their opinions to themselves, or didn't care. That was pleasant. Not being judged almost every waking moment...

Standing up, Ramone yawned again. "Another workday. Bet he's already been working for, like, hours. Totally tries too hard." He commented to himself, picking up his hammer and staring at it. He'd gotten used to using it somewhat, but didn't care for the noise it made. Plus the effort of smashing rocks with it was really too much for his tastes. He considered going into the mine to see if he could find something to make into a fancy accessory, but decided against it, instead dropping the hammer down in front of him, narrowly missing his foot. "Maybe later, or something. All this thinking about doing work is totally making me unmotivated." He complained, narrowing his eyes as he tried to think of something he'd actually want to do.

Then his stomach growled.

"Yeah, you make a good argument. I can't counter that." Ramone said, picking up the hammer again and beginning to make his way back to town. "I could totally go for something to eat right now. I'm sure Uncle won't mind if I end up being a bit later than even he expected." He snickered, pretty sure he actually would. Oh well, that was something to deal with later. Now was the time for food. Which was much more important. At least to him.

Once inside the clinic, Joel set his stick by the doorway, and carefully navigated his large basket into the confined kitchen. Before Joel could begin preparing the meal envisioned in his mind, Alex uttered a disappointingly simple request for cranberry juice, which the priest decided to honor it, to a point. Sizzling sounds and the aroma of butter filled the kitchen as the cooking process began. Joel worked comfortably in Alex’s kitchen, for he was quite accustomed to using it under various circumstances. Alex always appeared unusually thin to Joel, so the priest’s nurturing instincts frequently compelled him to make meals for the poor doctor.

Throughout the cooking process, Joel chattered away about medical books he had read at Mineral Town’s library, asking for Alex’s opinion on the subject. However, the annoyed doctor preoccupied himself with his schedule, which was expected. Eventually, Alex broke Joel’s rambling with an inquiry about the new farmer in town.

“The new farmer’s first official day is today isn’t it.”

Joel grinned, “I’ll be off to give the new fella a warm welcome soon, but first you need some sustenance to ensure your hair doesn’t lose its wonderful luster.” Not allowing Alex a moment to protest, the priest delivered a tall glass of juice and a plate of sweetened bread. “It’s French toast, I hope that isn’t too exotic,” a playful chuckle accompanied his statement. The meal Joel handed to Alex certainly was not French toast and the both of them knew it, but Joel hoped it would be sweet enough for the doctor to enjoy.

Since Alex’s meal had been prepared, Joel began collecting his ingredients, basket, and walking stick. Upon retrieving his items, he opened the door outside; the priest gave Alex a smiling glance, “au revior docteur.” With his departing statement announced, Joel once again began traveling along the roads of Mineral Town.

Alex stared at the plate. Juice and...'french toast' or what Joel decided to make. The doctor sighed as the priest left, shutting his book. Picking up one piece of the bread, he took a nibble. It was tasty, had to admit. But Alex almost never ate in the morning, couldn't handle it. He instead put the plate in his fridge, it'd be useful as lunch. Crap, he would need to thank Joel at some point...which would reinforce his behavior. Social obligation was a nightmarish circle.

As he sluggishly wandered around his house, getting ready and dressing, he slowly drained the cranberry juice. As Alex adjusted his tie and straightened his cuffs, he slid one hand through his nest of hair. It took ten minutes or so to tame the scarlet locks, but the doctor was rather proud of them. Despite that many people assumed he was a woman from behind...and occasionally from the front. He grabbed a bag of reddish powder, a concentrated form of stomach medicine with a touch of pain reliever. Essentially, a useful hangover remedy that Alex stumbled across during his intern years, it worked exceptionally well for even the worst of regretful mornings. Alex had gotten into the habit of simply making a batch for the town's usually heavily inebriated bartender Nuka and delivering it directly during his errands. It was much easier than having her make the trudge to his clinic almost every morning with a powerful migraine. The doctor headed outside, making a beeline for the bar, brow furrowed in his trademark constant look of sheer annoyance.

He opened the door to Nuka's Bar, giving a nod to the woman behind the counter as he trudged over. Neither were morning people, it was one of the few things Alex could say he connected to someone else with. He plonked the bag down in front of her, stifling a powerful yawn and the urge to fall asleep at one of the tables. He knew no body would come in to bother him if fell asleep in there, at least not this early. He adjusted his tie, eyes roaming the bar as he spoke in his usual dead, slightly irritated voice.

"I see you're up far earlier than you'd care to be, Nuka. My alarm was a thesaurus in priest's clothing, what forced you awake at this...unflinchingly bright morning."

Yet again, his tone seemed less questioning and more like a flat statement as his green eyes centered on the bartender.

"I need curtains," Nuka muttered, "When the sun is up, I unfortunately am up as well as my windows don't do much of that light filtering bit," she held up the glass she had been cleaning, checking it for any smudges or the like before putting it back on its shelf, picking up another one, "Kinda wish I had a coffee maker on mornings like these," She mumbled, using her nail to get something off the glass, "You want a drink while you're 'ere? Might as well, right?" She looked up at him, stifling a yawn, mostly unsuccessfully.
For once in the past week she hadn't needed this stuff and it was a good thing because she was out of it. She didn't know what was in it. She didn't care. It made her days a lot easier now that she knew it existed. Of course, she didn't know what it said that the bartender was more drunk than her customers on about a 85% basis. Then again... she also didn't care about that either. All that mattered was she knew her booze.
She did have to say she liked the fact he started bringing the stuff to her rather than her having to drag herself to his joint. Perhaps her rather loud protests to the migraines extra throbbing after being in the bright light convinced him to avoid dealing with her and the priest in the morning. Whatever, it paid off for her and she wasn't going to argue about it. Plus if he bought some alcohol it was almost like it was a fair deal.
As another yawn forced its way out, her jaw giving a slight pop at this one, she glanced at the clock. A growl escaped her next as she saw how early it was. Heaven forbid she actually have any other service for the next few hours. The floor behind the counter was sounded more and more desirable as the seconds ticked by.

~Sam is currently enthralled by the wonders of farming~

La Rosa was up a tad early....
Rather it seemed that she was up a tad late. A large yawn escaped her to confirm her exhaustion to the birds that had been flying overhead. What had her walking about in such a state? Well lets role back just a little bit further to the night before!

The town used her as a lumberjack but La Rosa,( yes La Rosa, her first name is far to plain.) Is an artist at heart and inspiration can hit her at the drop of a tree. That smell of a freshly downed tree and the pooling sap. Air freshener to most but to La Rosa its a freshly opened can of paint! Despite her job being to simply to down the oversized tree but it turned into a therapeutic evening! A love ballad rang out over night, her melodious chainsaw in harmony with her beautiful voice. As if magic the downed tree became a set of chairs along with a small statue of the birth of Venus. The strange thing is rather than sell it she left it along the trail, with a singular phrase "Beauty is Free".

Fast forward to the present

La Rosa hears the pair and ducks to the side for a while, hoping to hear something in the terms of young love as. They looked right for it after all, but alas their progression seems to have halted add idle banter. Their conversation was so stagnant it brought out another yawn this time with a forced volume to ensure the pair heard her. Just to grantee that she had their attention she called out and closed the distance. She still smelled of the freshly spilt sap, but that in her mind made for the best perfume.

"Hola! Little ones, Its nice to see you both! Are you enjoying the company of the cocks this morning? Are you going for the dinner to elope." The woman smiles coyly before sticking out her tongue and correcting herself, "IT is morning yes! Breakfast! We should have some together yes? With Eggs! Oh yes and the coffee! I love coffee!" Before the pair could get a word in she was upon them! Both her hands on the shoulders of the newcomer. "What is this? I just noticed who is this? I know little chickdy but who is farmboy? He is most cute! You should marry him quick I think!"

La Rosa's playful grin had more than doubled in size, it threatened to overtake her face.

Vivienne couldn’t contain her bright smile; her joke was still hilarious in her own mind set. She had play that same prank on Ramone once, but he just threw the seed back into her face and it ended in a bit of a wrestling match down by the Hot Springs as a result. (Which Vivienne totally won by the way.) It made her happy that David seemed to be able to take a joke, and was a pretty easy going guy, as far as she could tell.

Her emerald eyes watched as he looked over the basket. Vivienne didn’t realize the severity of the bird crap covered items. To her, it really was just a matter of scraping and wiping the excrement off. Sure, it might make the bread a little odd flavored, but nothing a bit of butter and jam couldn’t fix. Vivienne scrunched her nose as she watched David look at the basket in a mix of horror and gratitude. Anyone for miles could see that he wasn’t too keen on the condition of the gift.

"There's a lot in here, Ah don't think Ah can thank ya enough for it-"

David had started off, before he was interrupted by a chirp erupting from the basket. Vi’s gaze traveled down as she watched David talk to and continue on to feed the chick from his hand. Her mouth gaped to apologize for the invasion of the chicken but soon realized there was no need for it. Sure, most people in town had an okay time with her chickens; but she hadn’t seen anyone able to feed them out of their hands beside her father, and herself respectfully.

”You know..” Vivienne started, clearing her throat as she leaned on the fence to get a better view of the two of them together. ”You could keep him if you’d like. I mean, I raise em’ all the time, and usually charge for em’, but I think you need all the help you can get.” Vivienne nodded, positive at her decision. ”Plus, he looks like he’s taken quite the liking to you, and I can’t break that up!” Vivi gave another giggle as she turned back and maneuvered through the chickens back to the bag of feed. She took a heaping two handed scoop and walked back to David, leaning over and letting it cascade into the gift basket. ”That’ll keep him for a few weeks.” she commented swiping her hands together to get off the dust of the feed.

A silence lasted for a moment before she snapped back to the moment, “Anywhooo, farm boy. I’d love to stand and talk all day, but I got to get back to work here!” she dismissed him turning around to continue with her chores. The list of chicken farm chores would NORMALLY include: returning to the bag, tying it up and lifting it up to put back in the coop for safe keeping, changing their water, collecting the eggs, and disposing of the various feathers and dead birds alike.

Today couldn't just be a normal day.

"Hola! Little ones, Its nice to see you both! Are you enjoying the company of the cocks this morning? Are you going for the dinner to elope."

Vivienne froze as the town's lumberjack came into her peripheral view and quickly moved over to them. If Vi hadn't seen the woman, she surely would have smelled her. It wasn't a bad smell, but it was strong. The woman continued on:

"IT is morning yes! Breakfast! We should have some together yes? With Eggs! Oh yes and the coffee! I love coffee!"

"I hate eggs!" Vivienne started, "These aren't cocks, these are chickens! What kind of person do you take me for? I'm not raising them to put in the cock festival or fight em in the back woods, I'm raising em' for food for my family, and the rest of ya'll too!" Vivienne grappled, looking back at various items that still needed to be taken care of. Before Vivienne could start to give another reason as to why La Rosa needed to take some time at the library to understand the difference between the animals, La Rosa spoke once again, putting her hands upon David's shoulders:

"What is this? I just noticed who is this? I know little chickdy but who is farmboy? He is most cute! You should marry him quick I think!"

Vivienne face grew the shade of red to match the lumberjack. "Don't call me chickdy, you always call me that!" Vivienne whined, kicking her feet in the dirt as she grew frustrated with this embarrassment. "And, I'm not going to marry no stranger, he just got here yesterday! He probably can't even tell the difference between a Ancona and a Andalusian!" In all fairness, neither could Vivienne.

Vi's arms crossed in a stubborn fashion that resembled her mothers, "You two go get married, I'll worry about getting my chores done today!" her statement came out flat, as she disregarded their answers and walked towards the bag to bring it back into the coop to be stored.

"You know... You could keep him if you’d like. I mean, I raise em’ all the time, and usually charge for em’, but I think you need all the help you can get."

David looked back at Vivienne, eyes wide. "Really?" He asked in disbelief, glancing back down at the chick. It seemed perfectly happy in the basket as of that moment, looking up at him for a second, before going back to eating. He was washed over with happiness, though didn't express too much of it due to shock. To think, he'd have his very own little chicken already. It'd require a lot of care, but he was sure he could supply it. Being treated nicely like this, David couldn't help but feel motivated to make the farm a success. He figured her concerns were well-placed, but at this point she was sort of drilling it in that it wasn't going to be a peaceful ride to get things going. It was becoming a bit much. Of course, he wasn't about to say anything. Especially since Vivienne began speaking again.

”Plus, he looks like he’s taken quite the liking to you, and I can’t break that up!”

"Heh, well... That's real kind of you." He said, watching as she went back towards the coop. It gave him a moment to think about what he should do next. Where exactly was everything else? He'd just kind of wandered here... He figured he'd end up just doing that until he knew the place somewhat. Seemed like it'd work out. What could really go wrong? Not like he could get lost, right? Of course, he had as a child...

He shook away the thoughts, as Vivienne brought some chicken feed and put it into the basket. She said it'd last a few weeks; and he was very thankful for it. "That's good t'hear. Ah'll make sure the little fella eats well, don't you worry." He tried to assure her things would be fine, as he thought they would be. The little chicken was just like any other pet, right? It wouldn't be that hard to take care of. At least he thought so. Maybe chickens weren't exactly pets though... Even if they were his animals. He'd have to think about that more in the future.

“Anywhooo, farm boy. I’d love to stand and talk all day, but I got to get back to work here!”

David nodded, as she began taking her leave. "Thank ya again, Vivienne!" He said, preparing to go about his day as well. Maybe take this stuff home and get it all settled in his home. Figure out where he was going to keep the little chick as well, giving he didn't exactly want to be too far from it at any given time. He was quite joyful as he prepared to leave, but it seemed that life had other plans as a voice came out of what felt like nowhere.

"Hola! Little ones, Its nice to see you both! Are you enjoying the company of the cocks this morning? Are you going for the dinner to elope."

"What?" David simply stared for a moment, not able to say anything about what he just heard. He simply glanced back between the woman and Vivienne, unsure of what just ended up happening. Suddenly, offers of breakfast came up. Eggs. Coffee. She seemed very friendly, though something seemed off. Vivienne took offense to her comments, and David simply observed, ready to take his leave considering it wasn't exactly his conversation anymore. Or it wouldn't have been if the woman wouldn't have suddenly placed her hands upon his shoulders.

"What is this? I just noticed who is this? I know little chickdy but who is farmboy? He is most cute! You should marry him quick I think!"

"What?!" David frantically began shifting his eyes away from them, looking down the road in order to avoid eye-contact. He couldn't help but look back as Vivienne began getting irritated, her comment confusing him aside from the "he just got here yesterday" bit. 'Andalu-what?' He thought to himself, actually unsure of what she was saying. He probably wasn't the most educated person you'd ever meet, honestly. Though pushing past that, nothing could have prepared him for what came next.

"You two go get married, I'll worry about getting my chores done today!"

"W-Wait..." David found himself unable to raise his voice and call for Vivienne to not leave him alone in this situation. He would've pulled himself away from the woman, had it not been for the basket he was holding. Though he did pull his hand out, wiping his hand off on his pants. The little chick chirped from inside the basket, seeming to miss his hand or something along those lines. David was ready to skip out and head home, not exactly wanting to take Vivienne's suggestion to heart.

Of course, as much as David wanted to just run, he couldn't make himself budge. He kind of stood there, a much different kind of shock overtaking him this time. He found himself not being able to speak up too well. "Aah... Ah really should get goin'. Need ta, uh... Put all of this away back home, heh... Heh..." A nervous laugh escaped him. For better or worse.

The doctor took a seat on one of the stools as Nuka spoke about curtains and coffee. Actually, that was surprising that the bar didn't have a coffee maker. As she spoke, he pulled a small notebook out, green eyes flicking between the pages as he listened silently. The offer of a drink came about, as it inevitably would with this company. Alex winced at the idea of alcohol this early in the morning. His constitution was lacking, and it didn't take much to make him stagger all over the place spouting medical nonsense. Plus, he could really only handle sweet drinks. Fortunately Nuka was an excellent bartender and could make even the strongest drink taste amazing. Unfortunately, her drinks were also excessively strong and made Alex a gibbering flirt after one cup, and an unconscious wreck after two. Starting the day in such a way would be a quick path to an early grave for the doctor.

"I'll...pass, thanks. Joel seems to believe I'm sickly and has taken to giving me extremely large breakfasts these mornings, so I'm full...speaking of, you aren't hung-over today."

His eyes flicked from Nuka back to the notebook, one brow raised as he read a list of medical supplies he needed to order. The note for meeting the new farmer caught his eye again. It had been some time since Alex had taken up residence in the town. The first days were the hardest for the socially inept man. Ignoring that his predecessor had no organizational habits whatsoever and Alex had to basically clean and shift the entirety of the clinic around to even have it functional, the town itself was friendly, extremely so. And that had been the problem. Alex had learned from an early age that his personality was, plain and simple, difficult to get along with. He had a perpetual tone of disinterest and irritation. Even when sincere, it tended to come off as sarcastic. As such, he simply gave up on friends and loved ones and retreated into medicine. Then Mineral Town came into his life, alongside the nightmare that was social obligation. It was impossible to walk from point a to point b without being bombarded by a smile or greeting. Not that it was bad, but Alex's awkward social abilities made each day a struggle. In fact, most of his days started with Joel, who at this point was essentially a house-wife, making him a breakfast and chatting up a storm, then a walk over to the bar to deliver the remedy to a hung over, irritable Nuka complaining about her head and sounds, before heading back to the clinic and spending his day working on various experiments until someone injured themselves and came for treatment.

The closest things he had to friends were an inebriate and a butler. The doctor gave an involuntary twitch at the realization that this was a positive accomplishment in his eyes.

Meeting the new farmer was expected on a couple levels. It would potentially save the young man some trouble down the way if he met the doctor now instead of after he crushes his foot with a scythe or hoe or whatever they strapped to the underside of a cow to extract the milk. He wouldn't have to deal with the constant questions of 'Have you met the new farmer?' by other townspeople. The town was so close knit that NOT going to meet him would invariably cause the others to wonder about the doctor. Alex flipped the book shut, eyes flitting back to Nuka sleepily. He knew if he fell asleep here, she would either get mad at him for it...or simply take it as an excuse to fall asleep herself.

"I'm intending on meeting the new farmer today. I don't think anyone will come in this early. Did you want to say hello as well, or would you like me to hit the light switch on the way out so you can sleep?"

Arriving at the destitute farmland, Joel paused for a moment of contemplation as his eyes surveyed the abandoned landscape for any sign of activity. Surely, the deteriorating lot was a somber sight, but the priest’s mind instead occupied itself with the exciting thought of new opportunity. A mysterious new farmer arriving to renovate the decay into a prosperous plot of land is a romantic notion that swept Joel’s attention away from the tomfoolery playing out within earshot of him. However, Vi’s shouting swiftly demanded Joel return to reality.

“You two go get married, I’ll worry about getting my chores done today!”

Perplexed by the unusual statement, Joel turned his head to the situation that spurred the exclamation; noticing the vibrant red figure of La Rosa alleviated all confusion. An unfamiliar fellow was locked in the impish lady’s arms, with an expression that screamed for salvation. Not wasting a moment, Joel quickly but casually strolled to join the two’s company. Joel wore a playful smile as he greeted the two, but it was gentle and warm in comparison to La Rosa’s.

“I hurried over upon hearing wedding bells; shall I proclaim your union now, or would you prefer to make an event of it?” Joel locked eyes with La Rosa as he made this comment, but then unsubtly scanned the young man in her arms. He was a young soul, and terribly overwhelmed by what was happening. The bird poop covered basket and Vi’s earlier outburst indicated that the youth had obviously met her too. Vi could be a handful herself, and the addition of La Rosa could make for a deadly concoction if unfamiliar with them, which the poor youth surely was. Assuming this was the new farmer, Joel addressed him in an effort to provide the youth with an opportunity to speak. “You have a knack for attracting the affections of the fairer sex friend.” It was not unusual for La Rosa to act provocatively around folks, or for Vi to provide for others, but Joel knew that the boy might not know that.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pearl let out an audible sigh of relief as he collapsed down onto a stool. Several collections of assembled items lay upon a shelf near the shop’s counter, each labeled with the name of a Mineral Town resident. Waking early this morning, Pearl had been assembling orders and supplies for pick-up, and only now managed to find a minute of ease. A minute is all he allowed as well, as almost exactly sixty seconds later, Pearl stood up and opened the doors to his shop. It was seven o’clock, and the store had opened precisely on time, which was late in the shopkeeper’s mind.

Stepping outside with a broom in hand, the hurried shopkeeper frantically swept the store’s entryway until pristine, and placed a welcome sign upon it. Pearl turned outside to face the town and triumphantly announced, “Phalen’s General Goods is open for business, hunt around and maybe find a shimmering pearl!” Exhausting all his enthusiasm in one statement, a meek expression washed over Pearl’s face as he wandered back into his shop, and planted himself behind his desk.

Investigating his “To Do” list, Pearl realized he had accomplished all necessary tasks for the moment. All that is currently required of him is to conduct business when a customer walked in. In light of his freedom, Pearl pulled out a decadent ukulele, and began to tinker and tune the strings of his favorite instrument. The intermittent sound of a soft chord occasionally echoed outside the shop. After each pluck of a string, Pearl glanced through his doorway to see if any customers were approaching, so he could offer them his immediate attention upon entry.

As Vi walked off La Rosa's found herself with the now glowing red lad. A lovely shade on the tips of his ears made it all to obvious of the fun that is to be had. In a moment plans began forming, after all it is criminal not to toy with such innocent little white rabbits! As he began to move about she tightened her grip pulling him against her, he was trapped in the roses vine.
"Farmboy, if you wish to woo that one you must know cock as well. Perhaps we could study all types of cocks, the small ones or the big ones that are different colors. Clearly it is something she centers her life around, but as a chickdy how could she not. Now if you wish for Rosa you must" The Preacher cut her off, with his own friendly jabs. To which she reacted by pressing her cheek against the blushing boys, hoping that this would further fluster the fledgling farmer. "I see so now you are officially Rosa's With Padre's blessing we can consummate yes? But wait you had promised yourself to your little chickdy, I guess I can share, plenty of room for another hen" She chuckles at her poor pun. "Padre, what brings you here so late?" In her enjoyment she seemed to have forgotten only she had been up all night.

---

G arrived at the general store, Toting his sack of iron works that had been ordered. The sound of a strange instrument was enough to raise the interests of Zeke, who in his curiosity bounded up too the "musician" in question, and by bounded up too, I mean leaped on top of. G did nothing to stop the dog as honestly the sounds of the instrument where not exactly the right atmosphere for a general store in the sticks. Maybe on an island in the tropics, but hey hes not gunna tell a man how to run his store.
"Yo Pete, got your order. Ah shoot sorry I tracked in soot again."
As if it would make amends the man kicked off his boots leaving even more grey ash about in the entry way. He then proceeded to throw the bag of (Heavy) Iron works at the backside of the shop...An though it landed where he intended the crash of glass made G wince. "....You can take that out of the tab." He laughed hardily as his dog proceeded to lick Pearls face as if it was his favorite flavor.

The general realisation that he had to get up and go out to collect stuff made Leon annoyed. This was another day where he felt the need to not go outside. But rather stay inside. Forever. But he had a job to do. A very unfortunate, soul destroying, heart breaking, hope crushing, face smelter, kick in the teeth...er, getting thrown off a cliff then getting repeatedly punched in the face by sharks job. But, it was his job and he had to do it. So as he got up and got dressed in his whole 'Business' attire, waved to everyone who was in the inn working. Which was basically everyone since Leon woke up late. He went outside.

"Okay, I guess today isn't that bad. So, who too first.....hmmmm. Who will mostly likely not be extremely busy. Ah I know, Knowing her she'll have a crowd of things around her. Mostly like chickens, but probably people as well. Like most people, Leon knew the town like the back of his hand. Really though, he looked at the back of his hand all the time. Too much, now that Leon thought about it. It also wouldn't hurt to find that new farmer guy, he probably was worth talking to. Leon liked meeting new people.

His train of thought quickly lead him to the chicken farm, with the very funny name of peck for the family. What a coincidence. Leon looked around, Quickly finding a tiny crowd of people. One of the people he didn't remember. Leon assumed he must be the new person, he remembered everyone. "Viviveen! Vi, Chicken girl, Pecko, Come out. I really can't be bother to look for you. Even if you are right in front of me....which....you...are" Leon leaned forward. She was doing her work, she looked busy. But Leon depended on her for the most valuable things. What would he do without her? Well, make Egg salads was one. "I need the eggs, also...That's the new guy right? We're getting a new guy? Right?" Leon was definitely in ear shot of the person. But he was busy, with La Rosa. And while he could of helped him, it was way too fun to watch. Leon turned his head back to Viv who hopefully didn't just ignore him.